Faculty Research

Research at the Northwestern University Prosthetics-Orthotics Center (NUPOC) focuses on advancing mobility, rehabilitation and quality of life for individuals with physical disabilities. Our faculty integrate engineering, biomechanics, clinical practice and rehabilitation science to investigate fundamental mechanisms of human movement and develop evidence-based interventions.

From exploring gait biomechanics and metabolic energy expenditure to optimizing prosthetic and orthotic device design and advancing patient-centered rehabilitation strategies, NUPOC investigators are driving innovation in the field. The faculty highlighted below lead cutting-edge laboratories and collaborative projects that contribute to the next generation of prosthetic and orthotic technologies and clinical practices.

Faculty Research Highlights

Steven A. Gard, PhD

The research program of Steven Gard, PhD, aims to increase understanding about mobility in persons with disabilities who use prostheses and orthoses. Increased knowledge about the functional biomechanics of gait is essential for identifying deficiencies in and improving current P&O devices, enabling persons with disabilities to walk more efficiently and with reduced compensations.

Gard and his research team address clinically relevant problems that are often ignored or overlooked, yet can have a substantial impact on P&O clinical practice. His current studies employ a combination of engineering analysis of the components to characterize their properties and behavior, quantitative movement analysis of subjects standing and walking with and without the components, and subjective responses to inform data analyses and interpretation.

These studies provide quantitative evidence to enable him and his team to make recommendations to prosthetists and orthotists for fitting and fabricating prostheses and orthoses for their patients.

Matthew J. Major, PhD

Matthew Major, PhD applies engineering principles and statistical modeling to evaluate musculoskeletal health outcomes and postural control in individuals with musculoskeletal or neurological injuries. His research supports functional independence for these individuals and strengthens the evidence base for rehabilitation practices. Specific efforts include:

• Investigating the cognitive-sensorimotor mechanisms that underlie mobility and postural control in patient groups with functional impairment.
• Integrating mechanical characterization of prostheses and orthoses with numerical simulation and in-vivo testing to map relationships between device properties and health and performance outcomes.
• Developing user-centered, optimized assistive device technology and therapeutic interventions to enhance user function, independence and quality of life.

In addition, Major directs the Prosthetics and Orthotics Rehabilitation Technology Assessment Laboratory (PORTAL) and is the director of the Masters in Prosthetics and Orthotics Research (MPO-R) degree program.

Russell T. Johnson, PhD

Russell Johnson, PhD aims to improve mobility in individuals with neuromuscular impairments by better understanding the interplay between locomotor biomechanics and metabolic energy. His research helps investigators and clinicians develop more effective rehabilitation devices and personalized rehabilitation strategies by uncovering the factors that influence human gait patterns.

Clinicians can further refine interventions by targeting features that contribute to increased metabolic cost. To uncover these insights, Johnson uses a combination of experimental approaches and computational modeling to investigate the factors that impact preferred walking patterns.

You can email Dr. Johnson or visit the REMODEL Lab website for more information.